Tahoe Literary Festival

10:00am PDT

Beyond the Book: Building an Audience in the Modern Literary Landscape

Saturday October 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am PDT

This panel explores how independently published, hybrid, and small press authors can build visibility and grow readership in a rapidly changing literary landscape. Traditional media and bookstore events still build credibility—but they no longer drive book discovery the way they once did. Today's readers are finding books through Substack, podcasts, BookTok, Instagram, Reddit, online communities, and creator recommendations.

Join us for a candid conversation about balancing traditional publicity with modern audience-building tools, including newsletters, social media, podcasts, paid advertising, and direct reader engagement. Learn what works, what doesn't, and how to build a solid ecosystem around your book in order to reach readers, generate book sales, and sustain a writing career.

Speakers

Julia Drake

Julia Drake is a co-founder of Wildbound PR, a boutique literary PR and marketing firm for authors, and owner of IndieReader, a trusted platform for indie book reviews and publishing resources. She has led successful campaigns for high-profile and indie authors alike, partnering with... Read More →

Jared Drake

Jared Drake is president of Realization Films, a co-founder of Wildbound PR, a boutique literary PR and marketing firm for authors, and owner of IndieReader, a trusted platform for indie book reviews and publishing resources. He has led successful campaigns for high-profile and indie... Read More →

Saturday October 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am PDT
Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema 475 N Lake Blvd

Fiction, All Genres

11:15am PDT

The Living Landscape: California Then, Now, and Next

Saturday October 10, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT

Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema

Join acclaimed California authors Obi Kaufmann, author of California Inside Out and Laura Cunningham, A State of Change for a thought-provoking conversation about the past, present, and future of the Golden State. Drawing on themes from California Inside Out and A State of Change, the discussion will explore how California's landscapes have been shaped by geology, ecology, climate, and human influence across millennia. Kaufmann's sweeping vision of the state's interconnected watersheds, biodiversity, and public lands complements Cunningham's richly illustrated account of California's ecological history and the species and habitats transformed over time. Together, they will examine what has been lost, what endures, and what can still be restored in an era of rapid environmental change. Through storytelling, science, art, and conservation, this engaging dialogue offers fresh perspectives on California's remarkable natural heritage and the choices that will define its future. Audience Q&A will follow, inviting participants to join the conversation about stewardship, resilience, and hope.

Moderated by Mike Rogge

*This author conversation is great for people that love to read non-fiction books and care deeply about the environment.

Speakers

Obi Kaufmann

Obi Kaufmann is the author of The California Field Atlas (#1 San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller), The State of Water, The Forests of California, The Coasts of California (San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller), The Deserts of California (San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller), and The State... Read More →

Laura Cunningham

Laura Cunningham is an artist-naturalist who studied paleontology and biology at the University of California, Berkeley and the author of A State of Change: California's Forgotten Landscapes. She has worked field biology jobs for the California Department of Fish and Game, the United States Geological Survey, and various universities, gaining experience with such species as Owens Valley pupfish, salmon and steelhead trout, Yosemite toads, Panamint alligator lizards, a... Read More →

Mike Rogge

Mike Rogge is a writer and magazine editor. He resurrected the historic Mountain Gazette, an independent magazine focused on mountain culture, in 2020. Rogge, a passionate advocate for mountain communities, has been profiled in The New York Times, Fast Company, and NPR for his role... Read More →

Saturday October 10, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT
Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema 475 N Lake Blvd

In-Conversation, Great for Booklovers

12:30pm PDT

Author Conversation: Parvati Shallow & Priya Hutner

Saturday October 10, 2026 12:30pm - 1:30pm PDT

Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema

Join Parvati Shallow and Priya Hutner for a unique author conversation as they discuss their memoirs and the experiences that shaped them. Both women were raised in the same spiritual cult, each forged different paths after leaving. Both navigated abusive relationships, motherhood, and the difficult decision to walk away from a life that no longer served them. This intimate conversation explores identity, belief, grief, vulnerability, and how writing became a tool for making sense of their past.

*This author conversation is ideal for readers.

Speakers

Priya Hutner

Priya Hutner, author, teacher, and co-founder of the Tahoe Literary Festival and Truckee Literary Crawl. A journalist and writer, her work has been featured in the Tahoe Guide, Moonshine Ink, Muse Magazine, Monday Night Poetry Anthology and several other publications. Priya is... Read More →

Parvati Shallow

Parvati Shallow is a mother, a National Bestselling author, the winner and five-time competitor of the hit TV series Survivor, and the breakout star of Peacock's The Traitors. In her acclaimed 2025 memoir, Nice Girls Don't Win: How I Burned It All Down to Claim My Power, she explores themes of radical self-acceptance, resilience, and healing from trauma. Parvati holds advanced certifications in yoga, meditation, and breathwork, and is a passionate student of various healing and therapeutic modalities, including structural integration, Somatic Experiencing... Read More →

Saturday October 10, 2026 12:30pm - 1:30pm PDT
Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema 475 N Lake Blvd

In-Conversation, Great for Booklovers

1:45pm PDT

The Power of Poetry: Poet Laureates in Conversation

Saturday October 10, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm PDT

Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema

Join California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick and Nevada Poet Laureate Shaun Griffin for an inspiring conversation on the transformative power of poetry. Together, they explore how poems help us make sense of the world, deepen our connection to place, and give voice to our shared humanity. Drawing from their own creative journeys, Herrick and Griffin discuss craft, community, and the role of poetry in cultivating empathy, resilience, and belonging. Whether you're a lifelong poetry lover or simply curious about the art form, this engaging conversation offers fresh insight into why poetry matters now more than ever.

Speakers

Lee Herrick

Lee Herrick Lee Herrick is the California Poet Laureate. He is the author of four books of poems: In Praise of Late Wonder: New and Selected Poems (Gunpowder Press, September 2024); Scar and Flower, finalist for the 2020 Northern California Book Award; Gardening Secrets of the Dead... Read More →

Shaun Griffin

Shaun T. Griffin co-founded and directed Community Chest, a rural social justice agency for twenty-seven years. His new book of poems, No Charity in the Wilderness, is out from the University of Nevada Press. Southern Utah University Press just released River Ask Me Why—Into... Read More →

Saturday October 10, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm PDT
Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema 475 N Lake Blvd

In-Conversation, Great for Booklovers

3:00pm PDT

Our Fascination with Cults: Exploring the Myths and Realities of Belief

Saturday October 10, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT

Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema

This panel discussion brings together authors who have confronted the seductive pull of cults, or have been born into them the belief systems that reshaped their lives. Together, they explore what draws people into systems of control and what it takes to break free, how their lives were shaped by the powerful pull of belonging, belief, and conditioning.
They discuss what happens when people are swept into powerful narratives, why are people susceptible to charismatic leaders, and what dangers arise when belief replaces questioning. In an era of influencer culture, misinformation, and fractured divides, their insights reveal how limiting beliefs can entrap us and how writing becomes a tool for transformation.

*If you love a good cult book and are fascinated by cults this is a great panel to attend.

Speakers

Parvati Shallow

Priya Hutner

Melissa Duge Spiers

Melissa Duge Spiers is an award-winning essayist, screenwriter, and advocate for topics of religious and narcissistic abuse, utilizing her online platforms (TikTok and Instagram, known as “The Glory Whole”). Her memoir Holy Disobedience: Sex, Sin, and Secrets in the Biggest C... Read More →

Sands Hall

Sands Hall—author, professor, theatre artist, singer-songwriter—is the author of the award-winning memoir, Reclaiming My Decade Lost in Scientology (Counterpoint Press); Blackstone Audio produced the audio book, read by the author. Other publications include prize-winning essays... Read More →

Saturday October 10, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema 475 N Lake Blvd

Panel Discussion, Great for Booklovers